Summary: Members of the Chinese media traveling with President Xi clashed repeatedly with U.S. reporters and Secret Service at the White House during Xi’s state visit, producing video of pushing and shouting on the South Lawn and inside briefing areas. Journalists reported near-physical confrontations over camera placement and at least one incident in which a Chinese photographer bumped or shoved an American reporter. Administration personnel intervened, and President Trump later made a light-hearted remark about the photographers. Separately, reporters from CNN, Politico and "MS Now" returned to the grounds after a judge temporarily blocked a ban on those outlets.
Chaotic Encounters: Chinese Press Clash With U.S. Reporters, Secret Service During Xi’s White House Visit
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Members of the Chinese media traveling with President Xi Jinping repeatedly clashed with U.S. reporters and Secret Service personnel at the White House during Xi’s state visit, producing tense exchanges and scuffles captured on video.
Online footage and multiple U.S. outlets described a scramble for camera positions on the South Lawn and inside the White House as the Chinese press corps and delegation jockeyed for vantage points ahead of Xi’s arrival and events with President Donald Trump.
South Lawn Confrontations
Connor Stringer, U.S. editor for The Telegraph, described the scene before Xi arrived as "chaotic," writing on X that Chinese journalists were pushing and refusing Secret Service directions to move. Washington Examiner correspondent Christian Datoc reported a separate dispute over placement of official government cameras that he said nearly turned physical when a Chinese official shoved the hands of a White House aide who tried to guide him to a designated spot.
"Lots of shouting and raised voices as they refuse to move for Secret Service," wrote Connor Stringer on X.
The Washington Examiner also reported a Chinese photographer running across the South Lawn driveway seeking a better angle before administration personnel intervened. A White House photographer was quoted telling the Chinese delegation, "This day will be very long ... We can do this. No more fighting."
Incidents Inside the White House
Tensions continued inside the White House. NTD News correspondent Iris Tao wrote on X that a male Chinese photographer shoved a female American reporter as journalists rushed through the briefing room door prior to the Oval Office meeting. The Examiner independently reported a photographer bumping into a U.S. female reporter while press photographers waited to enter the Oval Office.
Daily Wire correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan shared a photograph showing Sen. Marco Rubio and commentator Pete Hegseth observing the scene as members of the Chinese press contingent were described by some onlookers as loud and aggressive.
Aftermath And Context
After photographers finished taking pictures during the meeting, President Trump reportedly tried to ease tensions with a quip to President Xi that the Chinese photographers had been friendlier than their American counterparts.
The incidents occurred during Xi’s first U.S. state visit in more than a decade. The White House hosted an elaborate program that included an arrival ceremony, a military review, bilateral talks and a state dinner.
The day also included a separate dispute over press access: reporters from CNN, Politico and the outlet described as "MS Now" returned to the White House grounds Thursday afternoon after a federal judge temporarily halted the administration’s ban on those outlets, according to reports.
Note: Reporting is based on videos posted online and accounts from U.S. correspondents and media outlets. Some details—such as outlet names cited in initial coverage—reflect the language used in those reports.
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